Antibiotics and Biotechnology Take Center Stage at Food Dialogues Event

CHESTERFIELD, Mo., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than ever, Americans want information on how their food is grown and raised. The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) was created to lead the dialogue and answer questions consumers have about food production through events, social media, access to farmers and ranchers, and content on its website, www.fooddialogues.com. To continue the conversation on some of today's most pressing issues concerning food, the USFRA today announced plans to hold the next Food Dialogues event in New York on Thursday, November 15.

"Since being formed in 2010, USFRA has demonstrated a willingness to bring farmers, ranchers, experts and academics together for robust conversations about how food is grown and raised," said Bob Stallman, chairman of USFRA and president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "USFRA is continuing its mission of answering Americans' questions about food production by focusing our next Food Dialogues event on issues that are making national headlines, specifically antibiotic use in farm animals and biotechnology."

While USFRA is currently working to finalize the agenda and panelists for The Food Dialogues: New York, the event will feature three distinct panel discussions focused on antibiotics, biotechnology and media, marketing and food. Additional details, including event moderators and other speakers will be announced in the next several weeks. In the interim, USFRA has created a section of its website where individuals can sign up for more information and receive updates as they become available.

Recently, USFRA hosted The Food Dialogues: Los Angeles, a two-day event that brought together 28 panelists and four moderators, including entertainment decision-makers, chefs, academics, farmers and ranchers for in-depth conversations about food. The event's four panel discussions addressed questions including:

• As more Americans turn to entertainment to influence their food-purchasing and consumption decisions, are they getting the full story?
• What role do urban farms play in feeding Americans? What can larger, conventional farms learn about best practices from urban farms – and vice versa?
• What technologies are farmers and ranchers using to produce food while protecting the environment?
• How are chefs, farmers and ranchers adapting their practices as Americans' appetites for more information and preferences about food sourcing grow?

Answers to these questions, in the form of video content from The Food Dialogues: Los Angeles, is available at www.fooddialogues.com. 

For more information about USFRA or its signature event series, The Food Dialogues, visit www.fooddialogues.com. Follow USFRA on Twitter @USFRA using #FoodD.

About U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA)
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is a newly formed alliance consisting of a wide range of prominent farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners. This marks the first time agricultural groups at the national, regional and state levels have collaborated to lead the dialogue and answer Americans' questions about how we raise our food – while being stewards of the environment, responsibly caring for our animals and maintaining strong businesses and communities. This press release was wholly or partially funded by one or more Checkoff programs.

SOURCE U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance